Inbound call center efficiency

Inbound Call Center Efficiency

The inbound call center department is probably more important than the other call center wings. The reason is that the callers who call up do so with the idea that they will be talking to an in-house representative of the company. They like to believe that they are talking to a person in authority. The call center agent needs to have that element of responsibility in the voice, and be friendly with the caller at the same time. This requires training and in most cases, years of practice. This is the department which can make or break your sales drive. The caller who has taken the effort to ring you up is definitely someone who is more than interested in doing business with you. How you turn that interest into revenue for your business is that you have to focus on.

With time, the inbound call center services have diversified. There are modern appendages like the interactive voice response system (IVRS). These facilitate the callers into obtaining the call center service that they need without much of a hassle. However, ask any caller and he will tell you that getting what you need in an IVRS system is a pain in the neck. There are too many unwanted options filling up the menu. While you are paying for every second ticking on the call, the answering service end is playing on hold music that refuses to end. When you finally get through to a live voice, you are asked a thousand inane details that are not needed to be recorded! That is the general plight of the IVRS system in most cases.

Even when you are calling up a customer care number that is manned, the time it needs to put forth your query really gets to you. Sometimes there is a barrage of stupid questions thrown at you. But the bad experiences with inbound call center services are not to be generalized. There are many premiere call centers out there that go a long way into ensuring that the callers get what they want in the minimum time possible. Such efficient answering service agents are not born, they are made. Your team of managers and trainers has to be at them so that they can be coached on the basics of telemarketing. The key point to keep in mind is that these agents would be the face of your business. So you better keep them in good shape or that might adversely affect the performance of your company in the sales department.

An efficient inbound call center department is like having a celebrity at the door to welcome guests to your house! Customers feel special and they are more interested in your products/services. The call center units realize this huge potential and that is why they sweat it out to make this department work in the true sense of the term. When it comes to BPO, the callers are the assets of the firm. To retain customers and to build up on the customer database, you have to welcome them properly and provide them services that will keep them close to your company.

Is your house in need of a document storage system

Is Your House in Need of a Document Storage System?

We get the gas bills, the phone bills, bank statements, insurance documents, receipts, pay slips, a work portfolio, a half written novel, they all build up. Many people are drowning in paper, and need proper document storage systems. Do we even know how long we should keep all this paperwork? Most people are hoarders by nature, but surely a year is long enough for most bills and statements. But even a year’s worth takes a lot of space. Most houses are not that large and we do not have a room for a dedicated office, so what can we do? Some people will store a few documents bit by bit, a bit in the kitchen drawer, a bit in the hall cupboard, a bit in under the bed, and a bit in the living room. It is a nightmare to find things if you do this.

But at least one document storage problem has been solved. You can sign up to a list that stops you from getting any junk mail, well except the hand delivered pizza menus, but who doesn’t want them once in a while? Although the general document storage system for junk mail was always the bin. But at least we can save some trees now.

However, that’s beside the point. What can we do about our document storage? Continue scattering our mail around the house? Box it away in your deepest darkest closet. Yes, that has been tried. And do you know what happens? A week or so later you will need to check something so it all comes back out creating mess. You rifle through this box and that file. Sometimes you never find what we are looking for. We all need a personal assistant to sort out our mail and file it by type of bill and by month. Who has the time or inclination to do it themselves? And also, most people do not have the funds for a personal assistant. Either it is time for all houses to be built with office space, or we all need to buy document storage systems, or both.

In fact there are a wide variety of home-friendly document storage systems that you can fit into your home to suit the space you have. And you do not have to have loads of ugly shelving units full of dull-looking box files. Many of the most progressive sellers offer attractive shelving units that take up little space, yet provide a wonderful amount of document storage. The actual documents can be placed in built-in cupboards or free-standing storage boxes, and here there is a wide range of attractive options for materials and colours. There is something for every type of home and style of decoration.

One very successful way to approach document storage boxes in the home is to have attractive, stylish shelving units along a wall. The lower part of the shelving would be in the form of cupboards, and the upper part open shelves. This way, you can store all that pesky paperwork out of sight in the cupboards, and use the upper shelves for your TV, sound system, CDs, DVDs and ornaments.

How to start your own baby food business part #4: understanding your market

How to Start your Own Baby Food Business Part #4: Understanding your Market

Understanding your market is critical. As early as possible, before you launch your business, I encourage you to survey moms in your area to learn about their values, buying habits, and infant feeding rituals. An easy way to do this is to use an online survey tool (there are dozens out there) to create your survey. Then send an email to all the moms you know, post a notice on a local mommy message board, or send an email to an online Yahoo! Groups community that is targeted to parents.

Not only will this help you learn about your target market but it will give you valuable data that you can use when discussing your business with the local media.

Here are some of the questions and answer options that we used for the first Sprouts Baby Food survey years ago.

How old is your baby?

Which of the following best describes you?

Stay-at-home mom

Working mom

If you are a working mom, which of the following best describes your childcare support?

n/a

in-home childcare/nanny

daycare center

family member

Are you concerned about food allergies?

Yes

No

Does your baby have any food allergies?

Yes

No

FEEDING YOUR BABY

Did you breastfeed your baby?

Yes

No

How long did/do you plan to breast feed your baby?

0-3 months

4-6 months

7-9 months

10-12 months

13-18 months

19-24 months

2+ years

How old was your baby when you began feeding him/her solid foods?

3 months

4 months

5 months

6 months

7 months

8 months

9 months

10 months

11 months

12 months

Older

Why did you begin your baby on solids?

Advice from doctor

Advice from book

Advise from website/web forum

Advice from family member

Advice from another mom

Baby seemed ready

Other

Which of the following is most often your source for feeding and childcare information?

doctor

book

website/web forum

family member

other moms

Did your doctor give you enough information to help you feel confident about making feeding decisions for your baby?

Yes

No

What is the most frustrating thing about introducing new foods to your baby?

WHAT YOU FEED YOUR BABY

Which best describes the food that you most frequently give your baby?

Home-made baby food

Traditional store-bought baby food (jarred)

Organic store-bought baby food (jarred)

Organic store-bought baby food (frozen)

Pureed table foods

Catered baby food (such as Sprouts)

Do you regularly give your baby formula?

Yes

No

Never

Which of the following baby food brands do you most frequently use (please check all that apply).

n/a ‘ I don’t give my baby commercial baby food

Gerber Baby Food

Heinz Baby Food

Beech Nut Baby Food

Earth’s Best

Gerber Organic

Organic Baby

Homemade Baby

Bohemian Baby

Happy Baby

TotPots

Mom Made

Evie’s Organic Edibles

Plum Organics

Healthy Times

Bright Beginnings

If you DO NOT make your own baby food, please give us the reasons why. (check all that apply)

n/a ‘ I make my own baby food.

I think store-bought food is as good as what I could make at home.

I would like to make my own baby food but I don’t have the time.

If you DO make your own baby food, please give us the reasons why. (check all that apply)

I think that fresh is the best.

I like to choose my own ingredients.

I think that store-bought baby food contains a lot of sugars, starches, and fillers.

I don’t like that store-bought food is made to sit on store shelves for 2+ years.

Store-bought food lacks variety.

Is price a factor when feeding your baby?

No ‘ I want the best for my baby, no matter what the cost.

Not really ‘ I’ll pay more for better quality foods.

Kind of ‘ It depends. Sometimes.

Yes ‘ We are on a budget and can’t afford to spend a great deal of baby food.

Yes ‘ I just don’t believe in paying a lot for baby food.

Do you read the ingredient labels on baby food in the store?

n/a ‘ I make my own baby food.

No

Yes, always

Yes, but only for baby food

If yes, what are you looking for on the labels?

On average, how much do you pay for baby food (per jar)?

$.10 — $.49

$.50 — $.99

$1.00 — $1.49

$1.50 — $1.99

$2.00 — $2.49

$2.50 — $2.99

$3.00 ‘ more

How much would you pay for quality, freshly-made, organic baby food?

$.10 — $.49

$.50 — $.99

$1.00 — $1.49

$1.50 — $1.99

$2.00 — $2.49

$2.50 — $2.99

$3.00 ‘ more

On average, how many jars of baby food do you purchase each week?

0-5

6-10

11-15

16-20

21-25

More

RESTURANTS

Before having a baby, how many times did you eat out per month?

3-5 times per month

1-2 times per month

Once every 2 months

Other

After having a baby, how many times do you eat out per month?

3-5 times per month

1-2 times per month

Once every 2 months

Other

Since having a baby, is «kid friendliness» (kid menu, high chars, toys, etc. ) a key factor when choosing a restaurant?

Yes

No

Would you be more likely to frequent a good restaurant that had healthy, organic menu selections for your baby?

Yes

No

When dining out at a restaurant do you…..?

Bring baby food along

Feed the baby off of your plate (mashing something up)

Order something off the menu for the baby (then mash it up)

Other

Additional comments on dining out with your baby.